Pregnancy center hopes to open mothers’ home

MT. PLEASANT — After 15 years serving Henry County, the Cradle of Hope pregnancy resource center hopes to expand their services for mothers in the New Year.

According to Cradle of Hope Executive Director Peggy Knudsen, the organization hopes to start a home for disconnected young mothers in Henry County.

“We have found, in the last few years, we are seeing more disconnected young mothers having babies with no place to go or living on people’s couches,” Knudsen said. “Here, they’re coming to classes and earning money to buy a crib and they have no place to bring a crib to.”

Cradle of Hope acts as an educational and additional support for mothers and families.

Clients can receive pregnancy tests, limited ultrasounds, prenatal vitamins along with classes and resources at Cradle of hope.

Knudsen describes the program as a form of mentorship, which teaches new parents about newborn care, knowing a baby’s cry, and general life skills.

“We become an arm of support for them,” Knudsen said.

“It used to be, back in the day, where you had your mom and dad and aunt and uncle, and grandmas to surround you and help you,” she said. “It used to be families that would surround a young single mom that was pregnant and didn’t know what to do, even a young married mom.”

Cradle of Hope wants to provide a space for these women and babies to have not only a roof over their head, but a home environment.

“So, we thought, now is the time to provide a place,” she said. “Not just a roof over their head, but a home environment. We want to give them a culture of not just life but abundant life.”

The goal is to have growth and exit plans for the women helped with a mothers’ home over six to 18 months time.

Currently, Knudsen is still on the search for a building.

“I’ve looked at probably a dozen homes just this week,” she said.

She believes they are on track to pay cash for a home, but finding one is proving to be a difficult task.

With hopes to house multiple mother/baby pairings at a time, Knudsen is searching for a home with more than the average three bedrooms.

“There is zoning which needs to be considered,” Knudsen said. “So, I have been leaning toward a place that is already zoned for a bed-and-breakfast, boarding home, type building.”

“Anything within Henry County would be a possibility,” she said. “I have to think of where everyone doctors, if they already work, where they probably work, and Henry County is just kind of centralized for the communities we serve.”

So, Knudsen is looking into a variety of options for this home, including a piece of land on which to build.

She welcomes leads and donations in Cradle of Hope’s venture to find a suitable place to create this home environment.

Additionally, Knudsen anticipates needing a number of paid and volunteer staff to operate this home.

“We will look for social worker type role that can help create individualized growth plans, meet with the mothers weekly and check in on them,” she said.

Other roles that will need filled include a home administrator, housemothers, child care providers, and maintenance for the home and outdoor care.

Volunteers could help prepare meals, teach meal-planning, grocery shopping, and budgeting.

Cradle of Hope welcomes donations to the baby store via their Target or Walmart registries and donations to the Mothers’ Home campaign.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com